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Reimold, Tiani -- a former Westerners general manager and the current NECBL Commissioner -- and Murray -- a former Danbury president and current NECBL vice president were honored by the Westerners Wednesday night for their contributions to launching a franchise that has become a summer staple in Danbury.

And not least among the group was Eriquez, who Reimold credited for "spearheading" the efforts to bring collegiate baseball to Danbury.

"The vision was always beyond what you see here today," said Eriquez, who served as Danbury mayor from 1989 to 2001. "But we always believed this was a place baseball could thrive. The Westerners presence here has benefitted youth and adult baseball as well."

Those benefits have come in a number of ways, not least of which are the improvements made to Rogers Park.

"The first year we had no bleachers anywhere and the field was in terrible shape," Eriquez said. "I think we had a fence though."

"This is a great baseball area," Eriquez said. "We got youth teams that do great every year. I think the Westerners have just further engrained the sport into the culture."

Reimold, who played semi-pro baseball after a career at Lycoming College, is a prime example of that.

After presiding over the Westerners organization for 10 years, Reimold decided to move on in an effort to revive his own baseball career.

"In a way, seeing these kids play every night motivated me to get back out there," said Reimold, who plays close to 70 games a year on the senior baseball circuit with three different teams ranging South Dakota to New England. "I still have my career going and I have those kids to thank for it."

But Eriquez admits the Westerners have yet to reach the level he and the other founders envisioned.

Attendance in Danbury has remained stagnant at around 300 a game for 15 years while newer and more transient franchises have recorded numbers more than five times that size.

But if the Westerners are ever going to see attendance rise, Eriquez believes they have to leave Rogers Park.

"We need a stadium with the proper amenities, restrooms and a real baseball atmosphere," Eriquez said. "You're going to get a lot more people to come when the question is, Hey, you want to go to the stadium tonight?'"

Eriquez said Rogers Park simply doesn't have the necessary room for expansion to make a stadium feasible.

A stadium could also house a Single-A or independent baseball league team in addition to the Westerners But those are dreams, that even 15 years later, may have to wait.

"Times are tough for municipalities right now," Eriquez said. "This might be a tough time to do it, but this is something the area would support. We still think this area is perfect for baseball."

The Westerners, 15 years later, have already proved it. They could easily do it again.